Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time


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“Marta, I want you to know that war destroys everything, always. That is its intent, its only intent. If anyone tries to explain it to you otherwise, in some other way, in words of nobility or valor, do not believe them.”

The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo

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This got me through a rough commute today, thanks to Kate DiCamillo for giving me something to focus on as I struggled my way to work. The Hotel Balzaar is set in her Norendy universe, of which this is my first time reading, so I’m not that clear on what differentiates Norendy from our world, but I had a pleasant time visiting. Marta’s father has gone missing during the war (it seems to be WWI but it’s not specified) and her mother has had to […]

“It seems like a good thing to know the star that can keep you from being lost in this world.”

Louisiana's Way Home by Kate DiCamillo

Beverly, Right Here by Kate DiCamillo

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Spoilers follow below! These two books follow Raymie Nightingale and round out the trilogy with the girls at 14. Louisiana’s Way Home details Louisiana’s struggle to understand her past and to cope with her grandmother’s decisions, as she uproots them yet again and forces Louisiana to leave behind the new home and friends she’s made. They end up in a small town in Georgia and she has to find her footing once again in the face of a lot of revelations and emotional upheaval. This is probably […]

“There were three of them, three girls. They were standing side by side. They were standing at attention.”

Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo

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This was a re-read and actually a re-buy because I bought this a couple of years ago and it’s stuck with me, so this second copy is going on the permanent bookshelf. Kate DiCamillo is such an amazing author, every book I’ve read by her is a hit with me. She has a delicacy of tone and a way with emotional gravity that I think children’s books really benefit from. Children need to have books that take them and their concerns seriously, that acknowledge the […]

The girl, the mother, the countess and the parrot

The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo

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Author Kate DiCamillo is one of those authors I find myself having hits and misses with. I still consider her an author I enjoy, but I’m not always the audience she was going for. With that said, I was excited when I found a copy of The Hotel Balzaar (illustrated by Júlia Sardà) in our (unfortunately) damaged books. I had been wanting to read something that was a novel to break my graphic novel habit (as you know a favorite genre) but nothing too heavy. […]

Orris and Timble are back for round 2

Orris and Timble: Lost and Found: (A Sweet and Funny Early Chapter Book About Friendship, Trust, and Finding Your Way) by Kate DiCamillo

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Orris and Timble: Lost and Found: (A Sweet and Funny Early Chapter Book About Friendship, Trust, and Finding Your Way) by Kate DiCamillo and illustrator Carmen Mok is a sequel of Orris and Timble: The Beginning. It has many elements and pieces from book one, though we see more of Timble’s journey this time. However, when I started it I thought I was reading book one again. This took me out of the moment for a while. And, in fact, had to back track while […]

Well, this one made me cry.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

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One of my new year’s resolutions was to be more intentional about reading chapter books to my kids (ages 7 and 9) on a regular basis – with the goal being a book a month, say, or a big book that we have started but never finished (looking at you, The Hobbit) I hope to incorporate my thoughts on how read-aloud-able these books are in my CBR reviews – maybe it will help fellow parents on similar reading journeys! Anyway, we started the year off […]



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